10:41 AM,
Oct. 29, 2012

Francesca McNally, a 3-month-old from Franklin, died from pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

Written by

Veronica McNally says she was naïve: The Oakland County woman didn't know how vulnerable her family was to the dangers of vaccine-preventable diseases until one took her daughter's life.

On May 17, McNally's 3-month-old daughter Francesca died of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, a disease that could have been prevented if McNally and her family had been vaccinated. McNally, whose 3-year-old son contracted the illness but did not die, lives in Franklin. She also has a 5-year-old son who did not get sick.

"She was extremely vulnerable from this disease, and I didn't know it," ...